Last week’s marquee card was in Quebec City, where #1 Adonis Stevenson thumped a game but outgunned #6 Tony Bellew, showing that hit ’em and hurt ’em power that so few fighters possess. Bellew hung in there admirably, even edging the first two rounds on my card, but the Haitian-Canadian bruiser increasingly walked the Liverpool fighter down as the rounds wore on, dropped him in the 6th during an exchange, and seconds later, rubberized Bellew’s legs with what for any other fighter would be a fairly ordinary southpaw left. But Stevenson is not any other fighter. If he hits you clean, you’re not gonna like it. Credit to referee Michael Griffin for jumping in there just in time to save Bellew from becoming a tee ball.

In the co-main, #3 Sergey Kovalev didn’t feel like waiting around for 6 rounds. He actually got schooled a little bit in the first round, as the much faster and more nimble Ismayl Sillakh boxed expertly for a good solid round. But early in the second, after dancing around a bit, Sillakh got a little careless and leaned in to throw, but was beaten to the punch by a right hand right on the button from Kovalev, and he was still visibly shaken when the 8-count ended. Kovalev didn’t wait for a further invitation. As soon as the action resumed, the Russian charged in and blasted a helpless Sillakh more or less through the ropes to bring a swift end to proceedings.

Earlier that night in France, local gatekeeper Nadjib Mohammedi put a beating on Ukrainian peer Oleksandr Cherviak, in a manner reminiscent of Calzaghe vs. Lacy. Cherviak- normally a dangerous challenge, having stopped undefeated Sauerland prospect Dustin Dirks in his last fight- looked clumsy, sluggish, somewhat disinterested, and a bit out of shape. It was ugly. And it almost got uglier. Referee Giuseppe Quartarone- whom I’m more than happy to take another shot at, considering he was one of the crooks that robbed Chisora against Helenius- made a fool of himself, as usual. After three rounds of non-stop bludgeoning, Mohammedi pinned Cherviak on the ropes and landed 4 unanswered vicious shots flush on the face, as a dazed Cherviak held Mohammedi’s other arm. It was a crystal-clear moment to stop the fight. Instead, Quartarone broke the action to warn Cherviak for holding. Granted, he stopped it just seconds later when the Ukrainian’s corner threw in the towel, but that doesn’t excuse his complete disregard for Cherviak’s safety.

Tuesday night in Sunrise, Florida, another gatekeeper- Philly’s Yusaf Mack- failed to keep the gate on undefeated Thomas Williams, Jr. of Maryland. Mack worked hard and looked like he came to try and win (unlike the Froch fight), and he generally held his own for the first half of the 10-rounder. But Williams proved to be a very strong puncher who looks like he can box a little. He did some very nice body work, and essentially beat the starch out of Mack by about round 5 or 6, by which time Mack’s strength had clearly waned. It was a clear decision win for Williams. Anything between a shutout and 97-93, with my score being 98-92. Judge Roark Young agreed with me, while Richard Green and Alex Levin had it one round different in either direction (Levin also gave Williams a 10-8, presumably in the 9th).

Least, but not last, unbeaten South African prospect Ryno Liebenberg finished off low-level Ghanaian journeyman Daniel Adotey Allotey at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park in under a round, despite being outweighed by 11 pounds at the weigh-in.

Despite no less than 4 fights featuring exclusively top 50 fighters, there is no change to the top 20 this week, as the winning and losing fighters all merely confirmed their relative merit at that level, while Mohammedi and Williams still haven’t yet proven enough to advance that far.

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)Champ: Andre Ward (65-65-65)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)Next Fight: UnknownWhen asked about a fight with Hopkins, Ward acknowledged that it’s one of only two fights that would get him on PPV (the other being Chavez), but said he would only fight Hopkins if the legend called him out.1) Adonis Stevenson (26-26-26)Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony BellewNext Fight: UnknownStevenson-Kovalev is the obvious can’t-miss battle in the division.2) Bernard Hopkins (65-391-391)Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR) Next Fight: UnknownSee Ward’s notes, above.3) Sergey Kovalev (25-46-46)Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO2 Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownSee Stevenson’s notes, above.4) Chad Dawson (25-392-392)Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis StevensonNext Fight: UnknownDawson is now a promotional free agent, and is looking to sign with a top promoter to start rebuilding after a rough year. He says he is interested in a Stevenson rematch.5) Andrzej Fonfara (16-16-73)Last Fight: 8/16/2013- KO9 #6 Gabriel CampilloNext Fight: 12/6/2013- vs. Samuel Miller (UNR)Fonfara will return on December 6, on the Chicago undercard of Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni III.6) Tony Bellew (16-112-112)Last Fight: 11/30/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #1 Adonis StevensonNext Fight: UnknownNot the greatest birthday present for Bellew- getting blasted by Stevenson.7) Gabriel Campillo (16-180-180) Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara Next Fight: UnknownCampillo might be on his way to deserved obscurity after being robbed of deserved prominence for so much of his career. He still has plenty of boxing skill, but his will might be fading just a bit.8) Tavoris Cloud (16-223-223) Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson Next Fight: UnknownCloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.9) Nathan Cleverly (16-200-200)Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev Next Fight: UnknownCleverly withdrew from his cruiserweight debut against Daniel Ammann with a back injury, on just 4 days notice.10) Isaac Chilemba (16-36-96)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD8 Michael Gbenga (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown11) Cornelius White (16-103)Last Fight: 6/14/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #5 Sergey KovalevNext Fight: UnknownWhite was blasted out by Kovalev, but at least he has good company in that regard.12) Jürgen Brähmer (15-85)Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 Stefano Abatangelo (UNR)Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Marcus Oliveira (UNR)Since getting dominated in your title fight, fighting journeymen, and then taking two years off is the required resume for becoming a WBA Super Champion, Beibut Shumenov has now assumed that dubious title. Braehmer will now fight prospect Marcus Oliveira for the “regular” title on December 14 in Neubrandenburg, Germany.13) Karo Murat (6-6)Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard HopkinsNext Fight: Unknown14) Cedric Agnew (6-34)Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf MackNext Fight: UnknownAgnew has been ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko.15) Edwin Rodriguez (6-21)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre WardNext Fight: UnknownRodriguez came in two pounds overweight for the Ward fight, and couldn’t put it to much use. He will likely fight exclusively at 175 from now on.16) Lucian Bute (6-57)Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis GrachevNext Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)Bute-Pascal has been pushed back to January 18.17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (6-23)Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownMohoumadi snuck in a low-level win on November 30, apparently at 168.18) Eleider Alvarez (6-45)Last Fight: 9/28/2013- UD10 Edison Miranda (UNR)Next Fight: 1/18/2013- vs. #6 SMW Thomas OosthuizenAlvarez is tentatively scheduled to fight Oosthuizen in January, and I have no new information to suggest whether or not Oosthuizen’s shaky performance and bad cut against Maderna will affect that.19) Dmitry Sukhotsky (2-2)Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO5 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownAs conclusive as the Sukhotsky-Gutknecht result looks on paper, I’d actually like to see a rematch, since Gutknecht was having the better of it before his eye began to balloon.20) Enzo Maccarinelli (2-16)Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO11 Ovill McKenzie (UNR)Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. Courtney Fry (UNR)Maccarinelli is back on December 7 against mid-level journeyman Courtney Fry of Liverpool.

The Week Ahead: Polish prospect Pawel Glazewski is in action for the first time since his loss to Hadillah Mohoumadi this Friday in his home country against low-level journeyman Andrei Salakhutdzinau.

Also on Friday, on the Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni undercard in Chicago, #5 Andrzej Fonfara stays busy against mid-level journeyman Samuel Miller.

Saturday features #20 Enzo Maccarinelli against his own mid-level journeyman, Liverpool’s Courtney Fry.

Saturday in Bamberg, Germany, a result that was quite conclusive on paper did surprisingly little to clarify the relative quality of the fighters involved. Gatekeeper Eddy Gutknecht looked pretty good in the first couple rounds, appearing slightly but decisively sharper than fringe contender Dmitry Sukhotsky. But with perhaps the first connected punch of round three, Sukhotsky caused a nearly Lebedev-level hematoma on the right eye of Gutknecht that, in very short order, had to make it impossible for him to see on that side. Sukhotsky proceeded to dominate rounds 3 and 4, and the fight was stopped due to the damage before round 5. So it’s a TKO win for Sukhotsky. But did it prove his superiority conclusively? I would submit that it did not. When the two men were on equal footing, it was Gutknecht that had the better of the action. Only from the point that Sukhotsky gained a physical advantage did he overtake his opponent. The only questions are whether or not simply causing the cut should yield a TKO level benefit in terms of rankings evaluation, and whether or not Sukhotsky should get less, more, or the same credit for winning the second half of the short fight as he would have if he’d not caused the cut.

I submit that causing cuts, while largely based on luck, does have a significant element of skill to it. Still, it doesn’t reveal the quality of a boxer to the extent that a knockout win, or even a clear decision would. I’m therefore going to treat these kinds of results on the following basis. First, I’ll look at the scorecards, and for the purposes of evaluation, swing one round to the winner, and treat it as equivalent to a technical decision one round more in favor of that winner than the scorecards would merit otherwise. In the case of a shutout that goes at least 6 full rounds, I will give it the same treatment as any other TKO. In the case that the fight was a draw or worse for the winner (after factoring in the flipped round) at the time of the stoppage, I will treat it like a no contest. But this is inconsistent with my recent treatment of Quillin-Rosado, since I had that fight a draw at the time of the stoppage, but treated it like a no contest anyway. So to stay consistent with what I thought was the appropriate call in that instance, I will add the following “Quillin Proviso” to this precedent: if, in the context of the fight, it appears highly likely that the loser would go on to win but for the stoppage, I may at my discretion treat the fight as a no contest even if the scorecards don’t otherwise justify it. Since the fight was even and Rosado was coming on like gangbusters even after being cut, I would count Quillin-Rosado as a qualifying fight. In addition, if the fight doesn’t go at least 4 rounds, I reserve the right to treat it as anything between a no contest and a knockout, depending on the context of the action.

So applying the new cuts policy, Sukhotsky’s win is akin to a close technical decision. Nevertheless, it counts, and gives him the modest boost he needs to regain a ranking at #19 after a brief absence that began on October 28. This forces Enzo Maccarinelli down to #20, and boots Denis Grachev from the ranks after 82 consecutive weeks in.

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)Champ: Andre Ward (64-64-64)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)Next Fight: UnknownWhen asked about a fight with Hopkins, Ward acknowledged that it’s one of only two fights that would get him on PPV (the other being Chavez), but said he would only fight Hopkins if the legend called him out.1) Adonis Stevenson (25-25-25)Last Fight: 9/28/2013- TKO7 #8 Tavoris CloudNext Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #6 Tony BellewStevenson is set to fight Tony Bellew on November 30 in a quick turnaround from his fight two months earlier.2) Bernard Hopkins (64-390-390)Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownSee Ward’s notes, above.3) Sergey Kovalev (24-45-45)Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO4 #8 Nathan CleverlyNext Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)Kovalev will fight Ismayl Sillakh on a twin bill with Stevenson-Bellew on HBO November 30.4) Chad Dawson (24-391-391)Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis StevensonNext Fight: UnknownDawson is now a promotional free agent, and is looking to sign with a top promoter to start rebuilding after a rough year.5) Andrzej Fonfara (15-15-72)Last Fight: 8/16/2013- KO9 #6 Gabriel CampilloNext Fight: 12/6/2013- vs. Samuel Miller (UNR)Fonfara will return on December 6, on the Chicago undercard of Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni III.6) Tony Bellew (15-111-111)Last Fight: 5/25/2013- UD12 #7 Isaac ChilembaNext Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #1 Adonis StevensonBellew will fight Stevenson on his November 30 birthday.7) Gabriel Campillo (15-179-179)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: UnknownCampillo might be on his way to deserved obscurity after being robbed of deserved prominence for so much of his career. He still has plenty of boxing skill, but his will might be fading just a bit.8) Tavoris Cloud (15-222-222)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: UnknownCloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.9) Nathan Cleverly (15-199-199)Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: UnknownCleverly withdrew from his cruiserweight debut against Daniel Ammann with a back injury, on just 4 days notice.10) Isaac Chilemba (15-35-95)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD8 Michael Gbenga (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown11) Cornelius White (15-102)Last Fight: 6/14/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #5 Sergey KovalevNext Fight: UnknownWhite was blasted out by Kovalev, but at least he has good company in that regard.12) Jürgen Brähmer (14-84)Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 Stefano Abatangelo (UNR)Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Marcus Oliveira (UNR)Since getting dominated in your title fight, fighting journeymen, and then taking two years off is the required resume for becoming a WBA Super Champion, Beibut Shumenov has now assumed that dubious title. Braehmer will now fight prospect Marcus Oliveira for the “regular” title on December 14 in Neubrandenburg, Germany.13) Karo Murat (5-5)Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard HopkinsNext Fight: Unknown14) Cedric Agnew (5-33)Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf MackNext Fight: UnknownAgnew has been ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko.15) Edwin Rodriguez (5-20)Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre WardNext Fight: UnknownRodriguez came in two pounds overweight for the Ward fight, and couldn’t put it to much use.16) Lucian Bute (5-56)Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis GrachevNext Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)Bute-Pascal has been pushed back to January 18.17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (5-22)Last Fight: 10/17/2013- TKO1 Raimonds Sniedze (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown18) Eleider Alvarez (5-44)Last Fight: 9/28/2013- UD10 Edison Miranda (UNR)Next Fight: 1/18/2013- vs. #6 SMW Thomas OosthuizenAlvarez is tentatively scheduled to fight Oosthuizen in January, and I have no new information to suggest whether or not Oosthuizen’s shaky performance and bad cut against Maderna will affect that.19) Dmitry Sukhotsky (1-1)Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO5 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownAs conclusive as the Sukhotsky-Gutknecht result looks on paper, I’d actually like to see a rematch, since Gutknecht was having the better of it before his eye began to balloon.20) Enzo Maccarinelli (1-15)Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO11 Ovill McKenzie (UNR)Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. Courtney Fry (UNR)Maccarinelli is back on December 7 against mid-level journeyman Courtney Fry of Liverpool.

On the FS1-televised Tarver undercard later that night, gatekeeper Yusaf Mack looks for his first worthwhile win in nearly 3 years when he takes on undefeated DC-area prospect Thomas Williams in Sunrise, Florida.

Saturday: The best fighters in the division are on full display in Quebec City. #1 Adonis Stevenson gets a very credible test from #6 Tony Bellew of England in the HBO main event, while #3 Sergey Kovalev has a different and, honestly, lesser challenge on his hands in the very fast and slick, but also very chinny Ismayl Sillakh of the Ukraine. Sillakh’s resume puts him roughly on the borderline of the top 25, but to the best of my knowledge he hasn’t made 175 since his upset stoppage loss to Denis Grachev in April, 2012, opting to fight low-level opposition at cruiserweight, instead.

Last week’s #12 Karo Murat last made 175 on October 1, 2011. He has fought just once since then, which bought him an extra six months based on my rules, since he missed the weight by less than 2 pounds. He’s been waiting around for a shot at Tavoris Cloud (or Bernard Hopkins for the past month or so), which has been repeatedly frustrated by Don King. But there’s just no excuse- save for injury- for a fighter to be out of the ring for stretches like these. Accordingly, he is removed this week, allowing everyone ranked #13 and below last week to advance. Doudou Ngumbu assumes the #20 position on the strength of his recent win over 14th-ranked Vyacheslav Uzelkoff.

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)Champ: Andre Ward (31-31-31)Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)Next Fight: UnknownWard’s attention seems fixed a division or two (or three) to the south, as the recent names associated with him have been Chavez, Mayweather, and Golovkin.1) Chad Dawson (31-358-358)Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. SMW #7 Adonis StevensonDawson will fight Adonis Stevenson (who moves up from 168) on June 8 in Montreal.2) Bernard Hopkins (31-357-357)Last Fight: 3/9/2012- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: UnknownThere is now serious talk of Hopkins fighting Cleverly in London this July.3) Jean Pascal (31-199-199)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #15 Lucian ButePascal bailed on Dawson for a less internationally compelling fight with Lucian Bute on the same date.4) Sergey Kovalev (12-12-12)Last Fight: 1/19/2013- TKO3 #4 Gabriel CampilloNext Fight: Unknown5) Gabriel Campillo (12-146-146)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L(TKO3) vs. Sergey Kovalev (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownIt remains to be seen whether we’ve seen Campillo rapidly decline, have a bad night, or just run into a world-beater. But he’s still going to be highly ranked because he recently beat the guy ranked right below him.6) Tavoris Cloud (12-189-189)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: UnknownCloud’s manager expects him back in action by the end of the year. Normally that wouldn’t be saying much, but that would be against type for Cloud.7) Isaac Chilemba (2-2-62)Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew (should be win)Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #10 Tony Bellew That didn’t take long! Chilemba will rematch Bellew on the Froch-Kessler undercard in London, less than two months removed from getting borderline robbed the first time around.8) Cornelius White (2-39-69)Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Otis Griffin (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownWhite snuck in an under-the-radar 8-rounder against Otis Griffin. It was a pound over the limit, but will buy him some more time to stay active at 175, at least.9) Nathan Cleverly (2-166-166)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)Cleverly probably has a Hopkins fight waiting for him just a few months after the Krasniqi fight, assuming he wins.10) Tony Bellew (2-78-78)Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba (should be loss)Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #7 Isaac ChilembaSee Chilemba’s notes, above.11) Jürgen Brähmer (2-51)Last Fight: 2/2/2013- UD12 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)Next Fight: 4/27/2013- vs. Tony Averlant (UNR)Braehmer defends his European title in Hamburg on April 27 against journeyman Tony Averlant. Averlant so far only steps up when he fights for the European belt, having previously been robbed against then-beltholder Eddy Gutknecht, only to get beat by a journeyman himself.12) Beibut Shumenov (1-146)Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown13) Andrzej Fonfara (1-39)Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownFonfara aggravated a previous injury to his right hand and had to withdraw from his ESPN2 fight with Nicholson Poulard. He will hope that it heals on its own in a month, but if not he will need surgery that would keep him out for an additional 3-6 months.14) Yusaf Mack (1-146)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- L(KO3) vs. #1 SMW Carl Froch (at SMW)
Next Fight: 4/12/2013- vs. Cedric Agnew (UNR)After I rather thought he should retire after his showing against Carl Froch, Mack is instead back in the ring on April 12 against undefeated prospect Cedric Agnew.15) Lucian Bute (1-23)Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis GrachevNext Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #3 Jean PascalBute will look to prove what I have long believed- that the 168 pound division is much better man-for-man than 175, by fighting his larger peer in Montreal on May 25.16) Denis Grachev (1-50)Last Fight: 3/30/2013– W* (SD10) vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR) (should be draw)Next Fight: 7/13/2013- vs. SMW #16 Edwin RodriguezGrachev will be fighting Edwin Rodriguez at a catchweight of 171.5 in Monte Carlo for a million dollar prize.17) Dmitri Sukhotski (1-128)Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)Next Fight: 6/4/2013- vs. Mikhail KrinitsinSukhotski will fight in Barnaul, Russia on June 4 against low-level Kazakh journeyman Mikhail Krinitsin.18) Eleider Alvarez (1-11)Last Fight: 3/22/2013- TKO3 Nicholson Poulard (UNR)Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. Unknown OpponentAlvarez continues to stay busy, as he already has another fight scheduled for the Bute-Pascal undercard on May 25. No opponent yet, though.19) Yunieski Gonzalez (1-4)Last Fight: 3/15/2013- KO8 Rowland Bryant (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownGonzalez took a huge step up in competition and made good, knocking out strong fringe contender Bryant. 20) Doudou Ngumbu (1-1)Last Fight: 3/16/2013- UD12 #14 Vyacheslav UzelkoffNext Fight: Unknown

The Week Ahead: There are two fights worth mentioning on Friday this week.

At a casino in New Buffalo, Michigan, we get a crossroads fight between undefeated Chicago prospect Cedric Agnew and the apparently shot #14 Yusaf Mack of Philly, who looked so bad against Carl Froch in his last fight that I personally thought he ought to retire. And that’s even accounting for that fact that he had to cut some extra weight for the fight, and for the fact that Froch is really really good.

In Vegas, and presumably a couple hours or so later, a once-great college rivalry is reignited between two undefeated prospects. Marcus Oliveira, a member of the Menominee tribe, lives on an Indian reservation near Lawrence, Kansas. I therefore make an assumption that he is a Jayhawk fan to one extent or another (though he played basketball for a nearby tribal college). He is undefeated, and rose to roughly top 25 status with a knockout of gatekeeper Otis Griffin in the early summer of 2009. But then he laid off for a year and has fought just 5 times against extremely weak opposition in the nearly 4 years since. His inactivity and competition has been so bad that boxrec no longer even ranks him in the top 50 despite the Griffin win. Almost needless to say, he’s a Don King fighter. Oliveira’s opponent is Ryan Coyne, who at last check was trying and failing to separate himself from King. Coyne played safety for the Mizzou Tigers, and comes in with an undefeated record, though he’s marginally less proven than Oliveira. You might remember him for scheduled fights with Nathan Cleverly and Guillermo Jones, both of which fell through. Technically speaking, I wouldn’t normally have mentioned this fight because it lacks a top 50 fighter according to boxrec, but given Oliveira’s past success and continued undefeated record, that seemed like quite a technicality indeed.

#1 Carl Froch had a ridiculously easy time with #11 Yusaf Mack in Nottingham on Saturday. It’s no shame to lose to a top fighter like Froch, but Mack looked so bad in doing so that it makes one wonder if he might be done. There are some really bad performances in the recent history of boxing that can be attributed to excessive weight draining, and I can only hope for Mack’s sake that his problem was something of that nature. His reaction to the Froch punch that produced the first knockdown was so slow that he almost looked like he wanted to get hit by it.

Froch obviously stays at #1. Though Mack is now technically an active Super Middleweight, he hasn’t beaten anybody at this weight in over 5 years and thus isn’t considered for a ranking. No changes.

Dan’s Top 20Champ: Andre Ward(49-183-183)Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 LHW Champ Chad Dawson
Next Fight: 1/26/2012- vs. #8 Kelly PavlikWard will be fighting Pavlik in LA on January 26. 1) Carl Froch (26-336-336)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- KO3 LHW #11 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #4 Lucian ButeFroch destroyed a passive and weak-looking Mack and is now probably all set for his March or April rematch with Bute.2) Arthur Abraham (13-161-161)
Last Fight: 8/25/2012- UD12 #4 Robert Stieglitz
Next Fight: 12/15/2012- vs. Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)Abraham will make a fairly weak follow-up to his big win over Stieglitz. His opponent is Mehdi Bouadla, who made a brave stand against Kessler before getting stopped fairly early in their 2011 fight. Since then, Bouadla- essentially a journeyman- has been fighting exclusively nobodies, mostly at middleweight.3) Mikkel Kessler (13-415-415)Last Fight: 5/19/2012- KO5 Allan Green (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. Brian Magee (UNR)Kessler fights fringe contender Brian Magee in Herning, Denmark on December 8.4) Lucian Bute (13-345-345)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 LHW #16 Denis Grachev (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #1 Carl FrochBute struggled a fair amount in his win over Grachev, and now presumably will have to deal with Froch for a second time.5) Robert Stieglitz (13-169-169)Last Fight: 8/25/2012- L(UD12) vs. #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: UnknownStieglitz was somewhat busted up in the tough Abraham fight, and so I expect him to take a few months off at least.6) Thomas Oosthuizen (13-77-125)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- UD12 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownOosthuizen missed weight initially but managed to sweat it off to fight Zuniga. He has reportedly been working on a potential deal to fight Gennady Golovkin since before that fight.7) Adonis Stevenson (6-50-50)Last Fight: 10/12/2012- TKO12 Don George (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownStevenson probably has a shot at Carl Froch due to him at some point, as he is the mandatory challenger for Froch’s belt. But Froch already has a fight coming up soon with Yusaf Mack, and a contracted fight with Bute likely in March.8) Kelly Pavlik (6-20-20)Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD10 #12 Will RosinskyNext Fight: 1/26/2013- vs. Champ Andre WardPavlik will get a shot at Ward sooner than expected: January 26, in LA.9) Sakio Bika (17-49-294)Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO10 Dyah Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown10) Karoly Balzsay (17-17-31)Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO12 #8 Dimitri SartisonNext Fight: UnknownBalzsay pulled out of a scheduled alphabet title defense with fringe contender Brian Magee with a back injury.11) Andy Lee (20-89)Last Fight: 6/16/2012- L(TKO7) vs. MW#? Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (at MW)Next Fight: Unknown12) Anthony Dirrell (17-51)Last Fight: 12/2/2011- TKO4 Renan St. Juste (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownAfter his motorcycle crash, Anthony Dirrell was said to be out until at least November. Here we are in late November, and not a peep. Hopefully he gets back in the ring before his woefully inactive twin brother. As for his ranking, I will now commit to not remove him until at least June 2, 2013 due to his very serious injury situation.13) Will Rosinsky (17-23)Last Fight: 7/7/2012- L(UD10) vs. Kelly Pavlik (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown14) Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye (17-54)Last Fight: 5/26/2012- RTD9 Jose Maria Guerrero (UNR)Next Fight: 1/26/2013- vs. #18 James DeGaleNdiaye’s fight with DeGale is set for late January instead of December 8 as reported earlier. DeGale will be fighting a likely lesser opponent on December 8, it appears.15) Dimitri Sartison (17-125)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- L(TKO12) vs. Karoly Balzsay (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownSartison has been medically cleared following his third knee surgery, and is looking to return in December.16) Jesus Gonzales (7-72)Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L(KO1) vs. #9 Adonis StevensonNext Fight: 1/19/2012- vs. Albert Onolunose (UNR)Gonzales’ fight at Desperado’s Nightclub in Calgary has been pushed back for a second time- this time to January 19. But at least he has an opponent now- Nigerian journeyman Albert Onolunose, who is frankly a level or two better than I was expecting Gonzales to fight in such a small-sounding venue.17) George Groves (6-19)Last Fight: 7/28/2012- TKO6 Francisco Sierra (UNR)Next Fight: 12/15/2012- vs. Glen Johnson (UNR)Groves’s December 15 opponent turned out to be kind of a surprise: former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson. Johnson retired just a few months ago, but evidently isn’t ready to keep them hung up yet. This could be an interesting crossroads fight.18) James DeGale (6-58)Last Fight: 10/13/2012- UD12* Hadillah Mohoumadi (UNR)Next Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. Unknown OpponentTo clarify- DeGale will still apparently be back on December 8, and his fight with Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye is still on, but the December 8 fight will likely be mostly a stay-busy affair, while the important Ndiaye fight will take place on January 26.19) Maxim Vlasov (2-2)Last Fight: 11/5/2012- UD10 Khoren Gevor (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown20) Edwin Rodriguez (2-17)Last Fight: 9/29/2012- TKO8 Jason Escalera (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownAccording to Gennady Golovkin’s trainer, Rodriguez turned down a huge offer to fight Golovkin.

The Week Ahead: Friday in Viterbo, Italy, local one-loss prospect Andrea Di Luisa meets Christopher Rebrasse of France in a well-matched battle of two guys needing a win to maintain their status as viable prospects. Di Luisa was nearly ranked here before he was dominated by Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye last year. Rebrasse has momentum in his favor, having defeated fellow prospect Hugo Kasperski in his last major fight, but is the visiting fighter and also has 3 very bad performances against unimpressive opposition on his record. The winner will probably get a European title shot in the future, while the loser may become a confirmed journeyman.

Sunday in Muscat, Oman, borderline fringe contender Francis Cheka of Tanzania will strangely be fighting Amin Saad Alswayni, a local fighter making his pro debut according to Boxrec. I can’t find any evidence that Alswayni is a decorated amateur or even some kind of kickboxing champion or something. So I’m not sure why this fight is happening.

#14 Andrzej Fonfara and 2-loss Serbian prospect Robin Krasniqi each stopped their journeyman opponents on Friday. Fonfara needed 7 to dispose of Pennsylvania’s Tommy Karpency in Chicago, while Krasniqi took care of business in just 3 over Albuquerque’s Max Heyman in Germany.

Saturday, on the Froch-Mack undercard in Nottingham, #8 Tony Bellew had Argentine fringe contender Roberto Feliciano Bolonti down twice by the end of round 3, but Bolonti lived up to the rugged reputation of fighters from his country by going the distance anyway, and without going down for a 3rd time. In the process, he managed to open a cut over Bellew’s eye in the first round, but ultimately got dominated over 12.

Also on Saturday, late-blooming prospect Anatoly Dudchenko forced L.A. fringe prospect Tyrell Hendrix to quit on his stool after 7 in the City of Angels.

Though Bellew picked up a nice win, it is not enough to leapfrog Cleverly at #7. None of the other fights were even significant at that level. The one change that is made is Yusaf Mack falling to #14. He lost to a very excellent fighter at 168, but what really hurts him is the passage of time. His last significant win over Otis Griffin was over 18 months ago, and his signature victory over Chris Henry is closing in on 4 years old now, as well.

The Week Ahead: This is supposed to be the week of Cloud-Murat, but Cloud has reportedly pulled out of that fight with a bad case of…unwillingness. Not even an excuse from the Cloud/King camp. It’s one thing to blatantly bail on a fight at the last minute. It’s quite another to be lazy about it. Let’s hope this isn’t true. More next week.

Khoren Gevor’s run of bad luck continued on Monday, but the source of that bad luck, for once, was his opponent’s hands rather than those of the judges or the referee. One-loss Russian prospect Maxim Vlasov, by all accounts, comfortably defeated Gevor, controlling range effectively. I haven’t even seen any evidence of Gevor running amok after the decision, so it must have been legit.

Liverpool’s Paul Smith returned to action for the first time since his year-old loss to George Groves, stopping very weak 4-12 opponent Tommy Tolan on Friday.

Meanwhile, fringe contendering Ukranian prospect Stas Kashtanov can barely catch a break, as he is one of few fighters that judges seem totally willing to rob in his own hometown. Kashtanov won what should have been a comfortable decision- somewhere between 118-110 (my score) and 116-112. Thai judge Chalerm Prayadsab had it just right at 118-110. Frenchman Jean-Francois Toupin gave Kashtanov’s opponent, undefeated Server Yemurlayev from the same town, every benefit of the doubt and then some at 116-113 (I hate even rounds). But taking the cake was Juan Manuel Garcia Reyes, who for some reason is still getting imported from Spain to judge fights despite turning in an atrocious scorecard in Hassan N’Dam vs. Giovanni Lorenzo of 119-109, in a fight that could have gone either way and was defninitely no wider than 116-111 for N’Dam. He had this fight 115-113 in favor of Yemurlayev. He should never get to judge again. Let’s be honest. He’s just terrible.

Oosthuizen fails to advance past #5 Robert Stieglitz. Although Oosthuizen has done more quality work in the ring over the last couple years, Stieglitz manages to fend him off largely due to his two top-10 wins to Oosthuizen’s one. Kashtanov and Smith weren’t in against credible enough opposition to enter the rankings, but Vlasov’s win over an always-tough Gevor does propel him, as he debuts at #19, forcing Edwin Rodriguez to #20 and bouncing Dyah Davis after 5 weeks.

Dan’s Top 20Champ: Andre Ward(48-182-182)Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 LHW Champ Chad Dawson
Next Fight: UnknownBoth camps comfirm talks for a February 23 HBO fight with Pavlik. 1) Carl Froch (25-335-335)
Last Fight: 5/26/2012- TKO5 #1 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: 11/17/2012- vs. LHW #11 Yusaf MackAfter the negotiations initially appeared to have failed, Froch eventually secured a fight with Yusaf Mack, afterall.2) Arthur Abraham (12-160-160)
Last Fight: 8/25/2012- UD12 #4 Robert Stieglitz
Next Fight: 12/15/2012- vs. Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)Abraham will make a fairly weak follow-up to his big win over Stieglitz. His opponent is Mehdi Bouadla, who made a brave stand against Kessler before getting stopped fairly early in their 2011 fight. Since then, Bouadla- essentially a journeyman- has been fighting exclusively nobodies, mostly at middleweight.3) Mikkel Kessler (12-414-414)Last Fight: 5/19/2012- KO5 Allan Green (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. Brian Magee (UNR)Kessler fights fringe contender Brian Magee in Herning, Denmark on December 8.4) Lucian Bute (12-344-344)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 LHW #16 Denis Grachev (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #1 Carl FrochBute struggled a fair amount in his win over Grachev, and now presumably will have to deal with Froch for a second time.5) Robert Stieglitz (12-168-168)Last Fight: 8/25/2012- L(UD12) vs. #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: UnknownStieglitz was somewhat busted up in the tough Abraham fight, and so I expect him to take a few months off at least.6) Thomas Oosthuizen (12-76-124)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- UD12 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownOosthuizen missed weight initially but managed to sweat it off to fight Zuniga. He has reportedly been working on a potential deal to fight Gennady Golovkin since before that fight.7) Adonis Stevenson (5-49-49)Last Fight: 10/12/2012- TKO12 Don George (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownStevenson probably has a shot at Carl Froch due to him at some point, as he is the mandatory challenger for Froch’s belt. But Froch already has a fight coming up soon with Yusaf Mack, and a contracted fight with Bute likely in March.8) Kelly Pavlik (5-19-19)Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD10 #12 Will RosinskyNext Fight: UnknownPavlik’s team is currently negotiating a February 23 title shot against Ward on HBO.9) Sakio Bika (16-48-293)Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO10 Dyah Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown10) Karoly Balzsay (16-16-30)Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO12 #8 Dimitri SartisonNext Fight: UnknownBalzsay pulled out of a scheduled alphabet title defense with fringe contender Brian Magee with a back injury.11) Andy Lee (19-88)Last Fight: 6/16/2012- L(TKO7) vs. MW#? Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (at MW)Next Fight: Unknown12) Anthony Dirrell (16-50)Last Fight: 12/2/2011- TKO4 Renan St. Juste (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownDirrell had been all set for a somewhat goofy vacant title opportunity against the underwhelming Nikola Sjekloca, but Dirrell crashed his motorcycle, breaking an arm and leg. He’s expected to be out of action until approximately November at the earliest.13) Will Rosinsky (16-22)Last Fight: 7/7/2012- L(UD10) vs. Kelly Pavlik (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown14) Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye (16-53)Last Fight: 5/26/2012- RTD9 Jose Maria Guerrero (UNR)Next Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. #18 James DeGaleNdiaye will apparently be fighting James DeGale on December 8 in England.15) Dimitri Sartison (16-124)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- L(TKO12) vs. Karoly Balzsay (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownSartison has been medically cleared following his third knee surgery, and is looking to return in December.16) Jesus Gonzales (6-71)Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L(KO1) vs. #9 Adonis StevensonNext Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. Unknown OpponentGonzales will return from 10-month layoff in Calgary this December. No opponent yet, but since it’s taking place in a nightclub, I can only assume it won’t be anyone spectacular. The fight has already been bumped back once from a November date.17) George Groves (5-18)Last Fight: 7/28/2012- TKO6 Francisco Sierra (UNR)Next Fight: 12/15/2012- vs. Glen Johnson (UNR)Groves’s December 15 opponent turned out to be kind of a surprise: former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson. Johnson retired just a few months ago, but evidently isn’t ready to keep them hung up yet. This could be an interesting crossroads fight.18) James DeGale (5-57)Last Fight: 10/13/2012- UD12* Hadillah Mohoumadi (UNR)Next Fight: 12/8/2012- vs. #14 Mouhamed Ali NdiayeDeGale appears set for a better-than-expected fight on December 8, when he fights #14 Ndiaye.19) Maxim Vlasov (1-1)Last Fight: 11/5/2012- UD10 Khoren Gevor (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown20) Edwin Rodriguez (1-16)Last Fight: 9/29/2012- TKO8 Jason Escalera (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownRodriguez is now fighting with Andre Ward………for a chance to fight Kelly Pavlik next. Just keeping you on your toes.

The Week Ahead: #1 Carl Froch battles light heavyweight #11 Yusaf Mack in Nottingham in what is supposed to be a set up for the Bute rematch.

Yusaf Mack somehow managed not to stop very low-level journeyman Sabou Ballogou of Togo in their glorified 6-round sparring session in Philadelphia on Saturday. No changes to the rankings.

Dan’s Top 20Champ: Chad Dawson (11-319-319)Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)Wow- it really is happening! Dawson will reportedly drop down to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for the World Championship at Super Middle. For my money, it will also be an opportunity for Ward to capture Dawson’s light heavyweight title. He’s fighting the 175 champion under the 175 limit. I’m not sure this scenario has ever played out in the history of boxing…and it’s pretty exciting- even if the fight itself may not be.1) Bernard Hopkins (11-318-318)Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: UnknownHopkins’ team has publicly stated that they want to fight Shumenov, but the Kazakh said he had no interest in the fight.2) Jean Pascal (11-160-160)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #4 Tavoris CloudShowtime has kindly provided the date of August 11 for the Pascal-Cloud tilt. That’s more than 14-months since Pascal’s last fight…just sayin’.3) Gabriel Campillo (21-107-107)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: UnknownWith Cloud apparently sidestepping not only Campillo, but also a mandatory with Karo Murat in favor of an even better match with Pascal, I wonder if Campillo might get the rematch with Murat, instead.4) Tavoris Cloud (21-150-150)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #2 Jean PascalIt appeared certain that Cloud would fight Murat next, but now he’s fighting Pascal instead.5) Nathan Cleverly (39-127-127)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownOriginally scheduled to fight the underwhelming Robin Krasniqi, a virus scuttled that fight for him. Not that anyone’s complaining. Barring a rescheduling, which would be problematic from the WBO’s perspective, Cleverly may be looking toward his mandatory with Sukhotski next, though there’s some talk of a Hopkins fight, as well. And the most recent rumor has him in the running for a Shumenov fight, and willing to go to Vegas to make it happen.6) Karo Murat (41-41-62)Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR)Next Fight: Unknown7) Tony Bellew (39-39-39)Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntoshNext Fight: UnknownBellew has at least rhetorically severed ties with promoter Frank Warren and is reportedly in the running for a July 7 fight on Sky Sports. Warren is threatening legal action over the split and the potential fight, however.8) Beibut Shumenov (23-103-107)Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: UnknownAfter embarrassing both Enrique Ornelas and himself (merely for taking the fight), Shumenov has already been approached for fights with Hopkins, Cleverly, and Kessler. That being the case, he won’t have much of an excuse left if he ends up fighting his 4th consecutive journeyman.9) Yusaf Mack (23-71-107)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD6 Sabou Ballogou (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown10) Dmitri Sukhotski (23-23-89)Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)Next Fight: 7/14/2012- vs. #16 Cornelius WhiteSukhotski- still waiting around for a mandatory shot at Cleverly- has taken a fight with likely overrated #16 Cornelius White in mid-July.11) Isaac Chilemba (23-23)Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison MirandaNext Fight: UnknownNegotiations are currently in progress for Chilemba to fight former (I guess arguably current) lineal Champion Zsolt Erdei in late September on HBO.12) Vyacheslav Uzelkov (15-23)Last Fight: 5/12/2012- UD8 Ravshanbek Jabbarov (UNR)Next Fight: 7/21/2012- vs. Unknown OpponentUzelkov is now scheduled for a fight in mid-July in Odessa, Ukraine.13) Jürgen Brähmer (12-12)Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD10 Vikapita Meroro (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownBraehmer has showed up for his last two fights, which at least feels like a record for him. 14) Denis Grachev (11-11)Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl SillakhNext Fight: UnknownYes, it was a flukey win, and it’s clear from his performance on its face that, at least at this point, he’s not this good. But honestly the result in black and white could have supported a rating as high as around #10. Common sense can only demote a guy so far (in conjunction with relative inexperience) when his actual resume calls out for a decent ranking.15) Mikkel Kessler (7-8)Last Fight: 5/19/2012- TKO4 Allan Green (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownA Froch fight in the fall now looks extremely likely, at 168, though Pavlik is acting like an October fight with Kessler is a distinct possibility, too.16) Cornelius White (7-30)Last Fight: 5/12/2012- KO2 Anthony Bowman (UNR)Next Fight: 7/14/2012- vs. #10 Dmitri SukhotskiWhite will get a chance to prove that he’s more accurately viewed as the guy that beat Yordanis Despaigne than the guy that got sparked in one round by Don George when he fights the formidable Dmitri Sukhotski in July.17) Tony Averlant (5-15)Last Fight: 3/31/2012- L*(SD12) vs. #12 Eduard Gutknecht (Robbery)Next Fight: UnknownAverlant is probably closer to the journeyman he was on 3/30 than the solid fringe contender he became on 3/31, but a win is a win…even when it’s a loss (in Germany).18) Ismayl Sillakh (5-78)Last Fight: 4/27/2012- L(TKO8) vs. Denis Grachev (UNR)Next Fight: UnknownI didn’t see that coming at all. I trust Sillakh will bounce back from the upset loss to Grachev. But wow.19) Eduard Gutknecht (5-7)Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery)Next Fight: Unknown20) Danny McIntosh (5-5)Last Fight: 4/27/2012- L(TKO5) vs. #7 Tony BellewNext Fight: Unknown

The Week Ahead: There will be a pair of interesting fights this week:

Friday: Former Champion Glen Johnson returns to 175 after spending more than a year at 168 when he fights Polish fringe prospect and steroid cheat Andrzej Fonfara on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.

Saturday: #10 Dmitri Sukhotski of Russia takes on prospect/#16 Cornelius White of Texas in Vegas. Sukhotski will be looking to stay on track for his long-awaited mandatory shot at Nathan Cleverly, while White will look to prove that he’s more like the guy that beat Yordanis Despaigne than the guy that got destroyed by Don George.